Another game with seeding on the line, and another disappointing performance.

The Celtics jumped out to an 11-2 lead early on in the first, but that was the best they looked all day. The Heat turned that nine point deficit into a 10 point lead in the second quarter and never looked back from there -- rebounding Boston 24-9 in the first half. The Celtics were outrebounded 42-26 for the game.

Other than a 12-0 Boston run in the fourth quarter to make it a 10 point game, the second half was all Miami. They had a lead as big as 23, closing out the game 100-77.

The Heat's big three all reached double figures. LeBron James had 27 points, shooting 11-of-19 from the field. Dwyane Wade had struggled against Boston this season but that wasn't the case in this game. He had 14 points and six assists and will probably make it to the highlight reel with his block on Ray Allen's easy fast break layup. Chris Bosh added 13 for Miami.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24 points, making 9-of-14 shots. Kevin Garnett scored 21 and Ray Allen had 13, making 2 of 4 three pointers. Rajon Rondo had a subpar night, seven points and five assists.

Other than the Spurs game, the post-trade incarnation of the Celtics has looked outmatched in games against potential playoff foes. It's easy to say they turned it on last year but that was a bit different. Doc rested the big three intentionally, it was a deliberate post-Christmas slide. That's not the case this year, these losses aren't on purpose.

In order to take the second seed, the Celtics need wins against Washington and New York and they need Miami to drop at least one game.

46 Responses so far.

I hate Danny Ainge as GM with a passion. I wanted him gone since day 1. He's done nothing but make bad move after bad move. Trading 5 players with 26 games left in the season and your a first place team? Who does that? He can claim is about business but your business is to put the team in the best position to win a title and he didn't do that. They're gonna have to find a way to pull it out themselves

And now this team has to figure out a way to get chemistry at the most crucial time of the season when most teams are already at that point. Ainge messed with team chemistry and pretty much killed the team. I hope and think we can pull it out but this will be the hardest fight this team ever faced. Either way as my earlier post said . I hate Danny Ainge and he needs to be fired win or lose.

Really nothing positive that I could say. Two games till playoff, and somehow I just feel like this inconsistency is not going away at all. ESPECIALLY RONDO. He's gonna do better than his numbers today. Is it just me or is praying for a Miami loss in one of their last two regular season games really pathetic?Also I really don't think the trade is the biggest factor. They are just dealing with too much factors all at once. Trade, new player adjustment, Rondo not playing well, Allen not getting enough shots, Shaq and etc etc etc.

I just really couldn't help but doubt their theory of "it's all gonna be different in the playoffs". YES they did went all the way to the finals Game 7 last year having a slumpy spring. But that does NOT mean that they can SURELY do it again. Teams are different, stronger, and we are somehow getting less and less prepared for it.

It's easy to blame this on Ainge, but that's not fair. Let's be honest, in these games, who ever wins the rebounding battle is likely to win. Miami is a small team. With or without Perk and Shaq we are bigger so us getting outrebounded was an effort thing. The starts need to start playing harder on both ends and stop having this look on their face that says 'Danny why trade Perk?' Their getting paid big! All we ask for is play hard! Play fucking hard! And if anyone here believes they're playing as hard as they can then you can blame the bad play on the trade. Otherwise, it's the players! I love everyone of them but I don't think they're playing hard! Thoughts?

If Lakers lose tonight that will be positive. Other then that, I am really worried for Rondo. It seems like when he is on, we can compete with anybody. I must single him out for our struggles. He needs to snap it out, for our sake.

Don't get me wrong, I really want to cheer on the Celtics, but after this kind of game, you really need to stop being disillusioned and face the harsh reality that this team isn't going anywhere.

People want to downplay the loss of Perkins but the fact of the matter is that trading him and, to a certain degree Semih, away has robbed the Celts of whatever real toughness they had inside.

This group of players has no heart, no hunger whatsoever. KG can pound his chest all he wants, there's nothing underneath but a big gaping hole. He can take his swagger and pack it up.

The thing is we can be ticked off at the players all we want, but the truth is this is on Doc. If he can't get across to his group the extreme sense of urgency in a manner that all they can do is take it to heart, be motivated and react to it, then what's the point?

So he needs to put aside the 'calm down, everything will be alright' approach and get real.

This 'team' (it's not really a team...a collection of players) has gone 14-11 since the three trades. With this group of players, they haven't had any big wins over title contenders - except for a Spurs team that was in a bit of a funk of their own.

This group lacks toughness and that's all there is to say about it. They don't fight, they don't hustle - bottom line is they now play a very soft brand of basketball.

They are getting killed on the boards and everyone knows that will cost them in the playoffs.

Whoever says and actually believes that having Shaq back and able to play 20 minutes a game in the post-season is just looking for (false) hope. The guy is done. He's 400 pounds and it's amazing he can still get up and down the court every once in a while.

Maybe Danny Ainge should have held on to the $10 million he gave Jermaine and put that toward trying to keep Perk. Perk on a bum knee or two is a whole lot better than Jermaine even if he was healthy.

Signing Troy Murphy, Carlos Arroyo and Sasha Pavlovic doesn't look like it's done much - other than put a few token white guys on the team and add something of an international flavour to the team.

Maybe it wouldn't have been that bad of a thing to bring Leon Power back. At least he plays with heart and passion, even though he's a bit like Big Baby in that he looks for his own offense a little too much.

Krstic was good early on but inexplicably has tailed off. Get him involved into pick-and-rolls so that his defender has to stay on him and respect his mid-range shooting.

As for Jeff Green...I liked him when he was in Oklahoma. I felt bad that he had to play in the shadow of Durant and Westbrook as he looked like a skilled, versatile player. But he hasn't shown that in his time with the Celts. He's playing scared, tentatively and not providing the same intangibles James Posey used to.

They are not all playing hard you are correct. I can see it in the body language of Pierce, Rondo and Allen. Something is missing and they need to find out what it is. It makes me wonder if they feel the burden if carrying the team is getting too heavy. The second unit with the exception of West is not much help and the chemistry is missing. I will again say I have faith in this team because I am a die hard and love them.

Everyone commenting on RedsArmy wants Doc to quit and Rondo to be shopped! I tell ya, I dont think I'd go that far... but there is no banner 18 soon... No way... I turned off that game mid way through the fourth. Our run is done. To bad Doc came back for this... feel bad for him.

Anonymous said...I hate Danny Ainge as GM with a passion. I wanted him gone since day 1. He's done nothing but make bad move after bad move. Trading 5 players with 26 games left in the season and your a first place team? Who does that? He can claim is about business but your business is to put the team in the best position to win a title and he didn't do that. They're gonna have to find a way to pull it out themselves

^^Sir you are entitled to your opinion--but he's the reason why we have a 17th championship and don't ever forget that. He made the Ray Allen trade happen, which was a STEAL, he made the KG trade, he drafted Baby in the 2nd round, HE DRAFTED RONDO #20 overall with that Suns pick, so let's be fair.

As far as today's game, it was just a poor effort all around. Bad decisions, lack of intensity, lack of rebounding, lack of almost everything. Rondo played horrible out there again today after getting outplayed by Rose last game. I can't defend this game at all, all I can say is that I hope they're going to turn it on come playoff time like they did last year.

GET RID OF SHAQ get howard many ppl have faith in shaq still but to be honnest he's done our chance at banner 18 is done lets be real. rondo where was the spirit tonight is this how it gonna be in the playoffs come on wee need to regroup real fast

The Celtics are getting bored, as we've seen happen last season. The trade affected the chemistry, obviously, and that causes some problems. Danny Ainge screwed up, and I don't really think anyone likes him at this point..but anyways, hear me out on this one, because this is bothering me. Celtics "fans" are really funny, you know. They're all giving up on the Celtics after a couple of bad games. So what they lost today? Yes, it was an important game but then again what game isn't important during an NBA season? Honestly! I would like to see half of you so called "fans" go out there and ball like the Celtics do. I understand some of you are frustrated, but we all need to support our team at a time like this. Obviously something isn't working with them and they need to figure it out. But us Celtics fans have to stay loyal and support them 100%. I can't believe how some of you are just giving up on them! It's disgusting. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been too pleased with how they've been playing either, but I haven't given up on the Celtics and you guys shouldn't either. It's just a bump in the road, not the end of the world. That's where I stand right now.

Yea this game was hard to watch, actually very hard to watch after we had jumped out to a 11-2 lead, but lets be realistic... The Celtics beat themselves today... Miami was phenomenal on defense, and I give them credit for that, but the C's were just stagnant offensively...

Now time for the realistics:

Even with the loss today, we still have the 4th best record in the league, we're just hitting our slump a little too late, but these guys will get it together, not going to promise a banner 18, but its hard to just up and doubt is after 1 loss too.

We dont need HCA against Miami, remember we won there anyway? this game was more important to Miami, and they showed it too, the thing Im most mad about is that the Celtics didnt make that statement!!! I'll take a loss, but the Celtics didnt give the HEAT that statement..

We are still 3-1 against these guys, we still have a chance to leap frog them again, Im almost willing to bet, they'll loose to Atlanta or Toronto, I just feel it...

We got bascicallly got nothing from our bench, dont see that happening too much in the play-oofs

Rondo is just disengaged lately, he and Rivers could possibly be having problems, their body languages tell it all... He and Ray could be having issues too, have sny of you noticed Rondo rarely looks for Ray anymore?

This game just proved that the HEAT wanted it more, and practically needed it more, but it didnt prove that the C's arent poised to beat them in a 7-game series, again we're still 3-1 aginst them.

Again the biggest dissapointment that I got from this game is that the C's didnt make that statement, they didnt bring it to the HEAT...

Think they'll play like this in the playoffs? Then thats just folish, maybe they will loose, but it wont be becaise of this game, or any other regular season game, it'll be because they didnt want it bad enough, and tonight, they didnt want it bad enough.... That simple..

I am a die hard fan, and also am disappointed but I am a fan win or lose. These guys need to play harder but Pierce and Garnett kep bringing it when it counts but they need help and rebounding needs to improve.

2. The supposed best player in the deal "Jeff Green" fits like a square peg in a round hole. And to think some people had the audacity to compare him to Len Bias. Smh.

Green right now isn't better than Tony Allen or Posey or even Marquis. He stops ball movement since the only way they get him involved is with post-up isolations, he can't defend anyone, he's been even worse than I thought he would've been.

Celts should've moved Semih and Nate for Battier and kept Perkins. Perkins and Shaq as the centers (with Jermaine a wild card). And at the end of the season, who cares if Battier, Perkins or Glen Davis walk for more money. You could've likely kept at least 1 or 2 of them AND had won a title. If Thabeet could've landed Battier, so could Semih. I think Battier was the missing piece to the title.

I've seen a lot of ppl saying that this game didn't matter(not here, just in general)... if you believe that, or that the C's didn't want this game you're delusional.

No, I'm not in panic mode, but if your not at least a little worried, then your in a fantasy world. The team looked bad today, horrible in fact. Whatever the issue is, whether it's a chemistry issue, or problems within the team, it's a little too late in the season to have those kinds of issues to work on, whatever it is I hope they have it worked out in a week. I haven't counted the team out, and I hope they're able to be the team they were most of the season, in the PO's, I'll be rooting for them.

I'm from Dallas and I have been a Celtics fan forever and I cant stand the Mavs but the way the Celtics have been playing is ridiculous almost where i want to cheer for the mavericks!! Rondo had absolutely no energy and yes DA is to blame he messed up the team chemistry and now they have to readjust too close to playoffs Danny Ainge fucked up big time maybe we can go for #18 next season because if they don't pick it up i don't know whats going to happen in the playoffs!! 77-100 is unacceptable in fact thats a joke

Yes this team isn't playing well as it is presently constructed - but this all started with the Perk trade!!!Swagger, chemistry and toughness are intangibles that were broken.

All you Danny defenders need to look at his resume. That 17th banner does not happen without KG infusing his attitude, passion and defensive commitment with Thibs defensive philosophy. The KG trade was done working with McHale and because KG was willing to come after getting Ray. Was Danny really brilliant in the years before?

Look what he's done in the past year. I'm not going to run it all down again but whether reseigning Perk was a problem or not - you make the run this season with this group because the window is closing. The only way you move Perk is for a sure-thing stud or great package for the present and future. Green(tb already described him) and Krstic? Are you kidding me?

I'll be with the C's as always through what looks like an extremely challenging postseason, but take the blinders off and quit the delusional BS. This isn't the same team that turned it on last season. KG, Ray and Paul are going to have to play 40+ minutes with Rondo giving us about 42-44 at his best to beat Miami, Chicago, or LA.

We all say that we will 'turn it on' in the play offs.. maybe a form of sourgrapping... but the question is, can we really? I'm a celtic fan.. no offense... yet, at the way the play, I fear it won't... but I hope they can.. lol, a lil bit of confused... T____T

Hey! All you celtics fans out there. I am ashamed of all of you. Danny Ainge is the reason why the Celtics are even contending for a championship. Remember? He made KG and Ray come to Boston and how do you thank him? By hate and resentment? Not one time you all thought that a big off season move is gonna happen? Not one time that you guys thought Dwight might come? Get over it, I trust Danny. It ain't over till it's over, alright? It's All About 18!!!